Peneda Gerês Mountain Villages

EXPLORE PENEDA GERÊS NATIONAL PARK

NATIONAL PARK WEEK SELF GUIDED WALKING

The perfect place for your walking holidays away from the big cities. Peneda-Gerês is the only Portuguese National Park, located on the Northern Portugal. The landscape diversity and the unique rural heritage make this remote mountainous park a great destination to explore step by step. Iberian wolf territory, transhumance villages, granite massifs, pilgrim footpaths, wild rivers are some highlights that you can find on your Peneda-Gerês.

make an enquiry

D1 TRANSFER AIRPORT TO CASTRO LABOREIRO

Your journey begins with a pickup from Porto Airport, ensuring a smooth transition to your exploration of the Peneda-Gerês National Park.

Night hotel or cottage

D2 LABOREIRO VALLEY | 9 KM + 350/-150

This scenic stage through Laboreiro Valley features medieval bridges, oak groves, and clear streams—a perfect introduction to the National Park natural beauty and cultural heritage. Get ready for a week filled with captivating landscapes and rich history from the outset.

Night hotel or cottage

D3 CASTRO LABOREIRO » PENEDA | 16KM +660/-540

This GR50 stage links the Laboreiro River valley to the Peneda mountain range, offering a mix of mountain and valley landscapes. You'll follow the serene rivers Mouro, Tieiras, and Peneda, with cobblestone streets adding historic charm. The journey ends at the remarkable Peneda Sanctuary, making it a truly special experience.

Night Hotel

D4 PENEDA » SOAJO | 16 KM +500/-880M

Walking along the Peneda River beneath the "Fraga das Pastorinhas" massif is truly special. Ascend slowly through charming villages, reaching a rewarding view at the summit. The descent to Adrão and Soajo follows ancient paths bordered by dry stone walls.

Night Cottage

D5 GERMIL GUIDED WALK | 8 KM +380/-380M

In the morning, pick up by our local guide, a short trip to the beautiful mountain village of Germil (30 minutes). This is one of our favorite walks, not only for the beautiful landscapes but also for the cultural richness that surrounds us. A day full of surprises and with many stories that our guide will share. At the end transfer to Gerês.

Picnic lunch

Night Cottage

D6 MATA DE ALBERGARIA & ROMAN ROAD WALK | 8 KM +300/-300M

A serene journey through one of Portugal's most stunning natural landscapes. As you step into Mata de Albergaria, you're enveloped by the lush greenery of the Peneda-Gerês National Park. Along this hike, you will pass by some milestones, a record of the past. Here once passed an ancient Roman road, the Geira.

Night Cottage

D7 GERÊS MOUNTAIN GUIDED WALK | 9KM +450/-450

Join our local guide for a day at the mountains. Exploring Gerês granite massifs and unique landscapes.

Night Cottage

D8 DEPARTURE

Transfer from Campo do Gerês to Braga.

For a more sustainable journey, we suggest that the trip between Braga and Porto be made by train (1h).

This tour was designed by our local guides, Isabel and Marina.

Like what you see but want some changes? No worries! Just let us know what you're envisioning.

We'll tailor this itinerary to match your unique interests, preferences, and schedule, crafting your dream vacation.

INFO@EXPLOREIBERIA.PT

Inspire travelers to live and experience unique moments, designing 100% home-made tours remaining faithful to our core values: authenticity, eco-friendly tourism, off the beaten tracks, handpicking our suppliers and maintaining well established relations with them so supporting local economies and assuring high quality tours to our travelers.
At Explore Iberia we are dedicated to fostering responsible tourism practices to ensure a positive impact on the environment, local communities, and cultural heritage.

Discover how we prioritize sustainable and responsible travel practices.

Environment: Our walking holiday invites travelers to explore the diverse cultures and landscapes of Northern Portugal, from Peneda-Gerês National Park, Montesinho Natural Park, Douro Internacional Natural Park, the UNESCO World Heritage sites Douro and Côa Valley, and other protected areas.

As advocates for low-impact travel, we provide comprehensive guidance on responsible practices, committed with "Leave no Trace", respecting local flora and fauna, and staying on designated trails.

We offer a user-friendly app to replace printed materials like route notes or maps.

All our trips are designed in a way that travelers can reach the trip start from the airport by train or bus.
We incentive travelers to stay more than 8 days when flying to Portugal
All picnic lunches and snacks provided by us are locally grown produce and other Portuguese products, served in reusable or recyclable lunch boxes.
We are directly involved in local conservation projects in Northern Portugal region (ex. are in charge of the maintenance and ecological recovery of a Natural Monument from Geopark Viana do Castelo), we are also partners and actively collaborate in local sustainable tourism network, CETS Alto Minho from Europarc Federation.

On every trip we make a donation of 5 euros per person to a nature conservation project or association.

Community & Social Inclusion

We encourage guests to dine at friendly local restaurants, where they can savor traditional regional dishes and wines.

We promote interactions with local communities by encouraging visits to cafés, bakeries, and craft stores along the route.

When possible, we extended stays, so guests have ample opportunity to immerse themselves in local life and forge meaningful connections with residents.

We actively seek opportunities to support local communities by promoting local employment and investing in social projects.
We prioritize partnerships with local enterprises to strengthen the economies of the communities we visit.

Small scale accommodations, family-run business, local guides are always our choice.
We have a partnership with the employment center, to welcome long-term unemployed people and support them in integrating into working life

You travel, we donate!

During this year when travelling with Explore Iberia you're supporting the work of Manuel Sobrino Senra, "El Naturalista Cojo".

An inspiring example of how passion for nature can overcome physical limitations. His work at El Naturalista Cojo is a valuable source of information about wildlife and the environment in the Minho River estuary. Learn more about his work:

https://elnaturalistacojo.blogspot.com/